MEET THE FY16 NCGA CORN BOARD CANDIDATES: KEITH ALVERSON

JUNE 2015

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(Posted Tue. Jun 30th, 2015)

First in a series profiling candidates for the 2016 Corn Board.

A dynamic individual who embraces a spirit of cooperation and civic-mindedness, Keith Alverson volunteers long hours to the service of farmers across the country. Now, he wishes to contribute his perspective, hard work and insight by continuing his service as a member of the 2016 National Corn Growers Association Corn Board.

“As a leader, I have always tried to keep a positive approach to things and to keep an open mind,” said Alverson. “I am not afraid to challenge my own ways of thought or challenge others to do the same. I try and make lemonade out of lemons. NCGA gets hit with a lot of things and put into tough spots, but we have to look for common ground and ways to work together. Doing so, we can accomplish not only our goals for corn farmers, but for all of agriculture.”

A 2009 graduate of NCGA’s Leadership Academy, Alverson is now in his second term on the Corn Board. Currently, he serves as the board liaison to the Ethanol Committee, which he previously chaired, and represents NCGA on the Field to Market Sustainability Initiative. Previously, he served as board liaison to the Production and Stewardship Action Team and on the Finance Committee.

Alverson currently serves as the president of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association. Previously, he has served as the vice president of the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council and vice president and secretary/treasurer of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association.

“I have always tried to keep an eye toward the future,” Alverson said. “As someone with a young family, I see the importance of working to preserve the freedom that they have to operate while keeping an eye on trending issues and knowing farmers will always asked to be more accountable too. We must preserve and build upon the successes we already have had in agriculture. We need a stable farm economy moving forward so that those next generations can thrive.”

Alverson and his wife, Kari, operate a sixth-generation grain farm with his parents, aunt and uncle, growing 2,600 acres of corn and soybeans. There, they are also raising the seventh generation, which includes Kennedy, Connor and Caiden.

The NCGA Corn Board election takes place at the July 15 Corn Congress session in Washington.